Selangor: The cost of implementing the free water programme in Selangor is set to reach over RM200 million and will no longer be sustainable if it is extended to all the people in the state next year.Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari (pic) said costs incurred by the state government for the programme increased from year to year since it was implemented in June 2008.

According to Amirudin (PKR-Sungai Tua), as of October this year, the state government had spent a total of RM1.6 billion for the programme.

"For 2008, the state government spent RM68 million, RM131 million was spent in 2009, for 2014 (RM167 million), RM179 million (in 2016) and for 2017 it was RM187 million.

"If it is continued in 2019 it will cost more than RM200 million, which is about 10 per cent of the state budget, and this is not sustainable," he said in reply to Lee Kee Hiong (DAP-Kuala Kubu Bharu) in state assembly meeting here,Wednesday.

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Lee (she) wanted to know the cost of implementing the free water programme in Selangor.

Under the 2019 Selangor Budget tabled on Nov 23, free water would only be given to B40 target group to meet the objective of reducing the burden of the less fortunate, with the amount of water provided also increased from 20 cubic metres to 25 cubic metres per month. – Bernama